When the Game Was Ours

Publisher Marketing: From the moment these two legendary players took the court on opposing sides, they engaged in a fierce physical and psychological battle. In Celtic green was Larry Bird, the hick from French Lick with laser-beam focus, relentless determination, and a deadly jump shot, a player who demanded excellence from everyone around him. Magic Johnson was Mr. Showtime, a magnetic personality with all the right moves. Young, indomitable, he was a pied piper in purple and gold. Their uncommonly competitive relationship came to symbolize the most thrilling rivalry in the NBA East vs. West, physical vs. finesse, old school vs. Showtime, even white vs. black. Each pushed the other to greatness, and together Bird and Johnson collected eight NBA Championships and six MVP awards, helping to save a floundering NBA. At the start they were bitter rivals, but along the way they became lifelong friends. With intimate detail, "When the Game Was Ours" reveals for the first time the inner workings of two players dead set on besting each other. From the heady days of trading championships to the darker days of injury and illness, we come to understand Larry s obsessive devotion to winning and how his demons drove him on the court. We hear him talk with candor about playing through chronic pain. In Magic we see a star struggle with the sting of defeat, not just as a player but as a team leader. When he learns he has contracted HIV we hear in his own words how that devastating news affected his relationships in basketball and beyond. But always, we see both these men prevail." Review Citations: New York Times Book Review 10/17/2010 pg. 28 (EAN 9780547394589, Paperback) Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2009 (EAN 9780547225470, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 09/21/2009 pg. 49 (EAN 9780547225470, Hardcover) Booklist 11/01/2009 pg. 12 (EAN 9780547225470, Hardcover) New York Times Book Review 12/06/2009 pg. 24 (EAN 9780547225470, Hardcover) Shelf Awareness 01/01/0001 (EAN 9780547225470, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Bird, Larry Larry Bird played thirteen seasons with the Boston Celtics and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998. He was head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000 and currently serves as their President of Basketball Operations. Contributor Bio:  Johnson, Earvin Magic Earvin Magic Johnson played thirteen seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2002. Currently he is chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises and vice president and part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. Contributor Bio:  Hill, Dick Reader of over four hundred audiobooks, Dick Hill has won three coveted Audie Awards and been nominated numerous times. He is also the recipient of several "AudioFile" Earphones Awards. "AudioFile" includes Dick on their prestigious list of Golden Voices. Contributor Bio:  Gigante, Phil Phil Gigante is an APA Audie Award winner (The Dark Highlander, The Stainless Steel Rat, and The Watch That Ends the Night), and winner of over a dozen Audiofile Magazine Earphones Awards. He has narrated and directed more than 250 books, and was twice named a "Best Voice in Mystery and Suspense" by Audiofile Magazine. He has been named a Best Male Narrator in the categories of Romance, Science Fiction, Militaria, and Mystery/Suspense, as well as "Favorite Dual Narrator" (with Natalie Ross). Phil also works in film, TV and radio, and is the Producer/Director of Gigantic Productions theatre company. He makes his home in the Midwest. Contributor Bio:  Bond, Jim Bond is a producer and host of radio talk shows, with an extensive background in theatre and the musical stage. Contributor Bio:  MacMullan, Jackie Jackie MacMullan is a nationally recognized sports columnist who spent three decades at the Boston Globe. She is a frequent correspondent for ESPN and a regular contestant on ESPN's "Around the Horn."